Grace and Beauty
by Aussiejade
Summary: The Day that Derek becomes a father... we see things through his eyes.


Derek looked down at her tiny fist. His hands rested on the humidicrib and his heart felt overjoyed as he looked at his tiny daughter. Six weeks early, but out of danger, she was just a few hours old. As a precaution she was attached to a breathing monitor, though that would likely only be for 24 hours because at 5lb 9 she was not your average premmie.

Her tiny mouth would be unable to suckle just yet so a gavage had been inserted into her nose to feed her. Derek winced as he thought about his child in pain.

"She's pretty cute" Addison interrupted his thoughts and he looked over at her in the rocking chair nearby in the NICU.

"Looks like her Daddy" She smiled at him.

Derek looked back at the baby for a moment and a slow smile formed.

"No she's as beautiful as her Mommy," He said.

They were silent for a moment and the soft buzz of the machines filled the air again.

"I picked the name" He looked over at Addison.

She smiled amused.

"Annabelle" He said, and instantly Addie recognised it as his Grandmothers name.

"That suits her," She said with a small grin.

"So" She sighed, obviously tired after a long day.

"You're a Daddy"

Derek looked at her amazed. She had been so wonderful today he didn't know the words to thank her.

"You should get some rest" Was all he said.

"I wanted to make sure she was alright first" Addison replied through a yawn.

"I'll be with her," Derek said, placing his hand through the humidicrib hole and stroking her tiny fingers lightly.

"Daddy's here Bella" He whispered.

"And Mommy's not far away"

He sat on the edge of her hospital bed. Looking at his sleeping wife he fell a little more in love with her in that second. Annabelle had just been cleared to be removed from the humidicrib and had been placed with her breathing monitor into a hospital crib, easily wheeled around.

Derek had reluctantly convinced his wife to sleep. She had wanted to be with Annabelle, but was exhausted from the 11 hour labour so had eventually agreed to rest a while. So as she slept he had bought their daughter to her, knowing it would be a wonderful surprise when she woke.

He stroked her face softly and thought about the day's event. She had given him the greatest gift of all. A child, their daughter. Arriving unexpectedly 6 weeks before she was due, they had come in as a precaution thinking the contractions were only Braxton hicks.

"I can't do it Derek" She said, her tired body draped between his legs as his sat behind her on the bed rubbing her lower back.

He hated that she was struggling.

"Yes you can, you can do it Mer," He said as he eyed the midwife and they shared a look of concern. Both of them shifting their gaze to the babies heart rate monitor.

"A couple more pushes Meredith," The Midwife said.

"Are you ready?"  
"I don't feel like I need to push" Meredith pleaded. She hadn't felt the urge to push once and it seemed her strength was wasted.

"C'mon, you can do it… this contraction".

Meredith felt the now familiar pain of a contraction coming on, and she took a deep breath. Gritting her teeth, Derek lifted her a little and she tried to push… despite not feeling the need to.

"Something's wrong" She said as the pain subsided slightly.

Derek looked at the monitor.

"It's too low" He said with concern.

"What?" Meredith asked, overwhelmed by the labour she was thinking as a first time mother not a doctor.

"We need an OB… page Dr. Montgomery" Derek said to the midwife who looked back at him. She had worked at the hospital long enough to know the history. But she nodded and went to page Addison.

In a few minutes Addison came flying in.

"Where are we?" She asked the midwife, who responded with the details.

"I can't do it, I can't push" Meredith's exhaustion was evident and her voice was soft. Derek touched her forehead lightly with a damp cloth, kissing her cheek.

"You just need a little help Meredith" Addison said as a second midwife entered, pushing a ventoose machine.

"This baby needs a bit of coaxing that's all" She replied.

"She's stubborn like her mother" Derek teased rubbing Meredith's shoulders lovingly.

"A daughter?" Addison was surprised.

"Okay well let's get this baby girl out. Meredith this will be uncomfortable," She said as she inserted the suction cap. Meredith winced in pain.

"No more uncomfortable than having my husbands ex wife between my legs" She managed a joke.

"Don't get him too excited" Addison smiled at Meredith.

"Okay… next contraction you need to push Meredith, as hard as you can, one last one… any luck and she'll be out" Addison explained the ventoose to Meredith.

"Get ready to meet your cone headed daughter" She teased referring to the shape of the head from the pressure of the suction, a side effect that would take a few days to disappear.

"She won't stay that way" She winked at Derek.

"You ready for this" Addison said, noting the monitors attached to Meredith were beginning to peak.

Meredith nodded. She sucked it up and with all that was left she pushed. The noises disappeared and all she could hear was Derek's voice in her ear.

"C'mon baby, push" He encouraged.

At the same time Addison pulled as if in a tug of war with the Shepherds stubborn baby girl.

In an instant she was out.

Addison placed her on Meredith's stomach.

"She's out Mer, she's on you" Derek said overcome with emotion.

"I think Dad might want to cut the cord," She said to the Pediatrician who was waiting to check the premmies vitals.

Derek's normally steady hand was shaking as he took the scissors to cut the cord.

"Mer" he whispered.

"She's on you" But Meredith was completely oblivious. The moment and the pain were completely overwhelming and she could hear nothing.

"Meredith" Derek said and she finally realised what he was saying beginning to place her arms around her daughter the Pedatrician whisked her away to check her vitals.

Meredith looked around. She could see Addison standing with the Peditrician.

"Is she okay?" Meredith's voice cracked as she spoke.

"She's just fine… she's big for a prem Meredith… 5lb 9" Addison looked back and smiled at them as their daughter let out a soft wail.

"Did you hear that?" Meredith looked up at Derek who was beaming.

"I did baby… that's our girl" He looked at her with love.

Addison returned to the chair.

"I'm sorry Meredith, we're not done here… and the baby needs to go to the nursery… we've still got Stage 3 to go… then you need some stiches from the ventoose" Addison seemed to be apologising but Meredith knew the drill.

"Okay are you ready…?" Addison asked for the second time that day.

Meredith's eyes flickered. She turned her head to where Derek sat next to her holding her hand.

"Hey" Her voice was croaky and Derek grabbed a glass of water and a straw for to sip.

"I bought someone to see you," He said, stepping aside for Meredith to see their daughter in the clear crib behind him.

Meredith sat up slowly and Derek adjusted her pillows.

Then he wheeled the crib over.

"They took her out… I wish you'd woken me".  
"Only about 20 minutes ago, the nurse transferred her and I saved the first hug for you" He said kissing her forehead.

He lifted the baby girl out and placed her into Meredith's eager embrace.

No words were spoken as Derek sat down on the bed wrapping his arm protectively around both his girls.

Meredith's face was fixed in a huge grin.

"I can't believe she's here," She said, pulling back the blanket to look at her tiny hand.

"Tiny ineffectual wrists… just like her mommy" Derek teased and kissed his wife again.

"Beautiful eyes… just like her Daddy" Meredith looked up into Derek eyes.

"I love you," She said.

"I love you too… you were amazing" They shared a longer kiss… breaking as the baby let out a gurgle.

The new parents laughed… just as all new parents found every sound their baby made funny and amazing.

"We need to name her… I only had a boys name" Meredith looked back at their daughter.

"What do you want?"

"I'd like to name her after my mothers mother, Annabelle… it means Grace and Beauty" he said softly and Meredith passed her to him gently to hold for the first time.

"Grace and Beauty… Annabelle…. That's perfect," She agreed.

"She's perfect… you're perfect" Derek was overcome with emotion and love and he swore silently to protect them both for the rest of his life.

Derek looked at Addison amazed as she closed her eyes. She had been so wonderful today he didn't know the words to thank her.

"You should get some rest" Was all he said.

"I wanted to make sure she was alright first" Addison replied through a yawn.

"I'll be with her," Derek said, placing his hand through the humidicrib hole and stroking her tiny fingers lightly.

"Daddy's here Bella" He whispered.

"And Mommy's not far away"

"How is Meredith?" Addison asked.

"Tired… overwhelmed… elated, she's resting, the nurse said I should be able to take Annabelle down to her soon" Derek looked at Addie and gave her a smile. He knew this was hard for her.

"Thank you for today" he said sincerely.

"Just doing my job" Addison said modestly, but didn't want to make a big deal of it. Derek knew her well enough to get that.

"This girl needs to see her mother" The NICU Nurse interrupted Derek and Addison.

Addison stood up and came over to Derek she leant in and brushed his cheek with a light kiss.

"Congratulations Daddy" She said turning for the door.

When she reached it she turned around to see Derek assisting as his daughter was placed in a small movable crib. She smiled as he took such care with his daughter.

"Tell her Mummy I said… well done," She said, a little sadly, but mostly genuinely.

And she turned and left Derek to take his daughter to see her mother.


End file.
